THE RIGHT WAY TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA

Being home for more than a year now, technology has become our best friend and social media is bringing us closer to the people we love. Social media helps us find new people, share our lives, find inspiration and creativity, find an audience for portraying our creativity, create deeper connections, keep in touch with that old friend among many other things. But sometimes it also makes us feel like we are not good enough, it makes us feel validated and judged, it makes other’s lives look so perfect. All these things might seem very small but they are the reason for many deep rooted mental health issues. To start to reap maximum benefits and minimum damage from social media, it is high time you take a look back at the content you create and consume, the type of person you are being on social media and the type of people you are allowing into your space.

You are not always a consumer, you are a creator too.

Before you decide what type of people and content you are allowing, take a step back to assess who you are being on social media. What are you putting out to the world out there? Do Not share or post anything hateful or disrespectful. Be nice to others but don’t be afraid you raise your voice when needed. If you are comfortable , show your life outside the filters( Not that using them is wrong. It is absolutely your choice), be vulnerable and more importantly be yourself. Share things you want to and are true to yourself not for the likes and comments.

It is YOUR space.

You own your social media and it is your choice to let people and content into it. Feel free to restrict, unfollow and even block people who are bad to your mental health. It is not a rude thing to let go of the people who make you feel bad about yourself. The same applies with content as well. Report or click not interested when you come across content that offends you or feels inappropriate. It is okay to take as much time as you need before replying if that is what you need. Do not force yourself to do anything that you do not like in your social media space. Make sure that you feel happy, inspired, uplifted when you come to social media. It is your choice to create that space for yourself.

Boundaries.

While creating social media a space you love, make sure you are not over indulging. Keep in mind how much of your personal information you are sharing online. Everybody is comfortable with sharing a certain percentage of their life. Make sure you know how much that is for you. Also, set boundaries on how much time you are spending on social media. It is very easy to fall into the rabbit hole of mindlessly scrolling. Make sure you keep a check on yourself.

Breaks.

While we can make sure our social media space is a safe, happy place with the people you love, it can sometimes be overwhelming to consume loads of information. Even though you accept it or not it is important to take regular breaks from social media. It depends on you about how regularly you need a break and how long of a break you need. FOMO hits hard when you think about taking a break but just do it. Everybody is going to be there when you come back and you are not going to miss anything.

Respect.

Respect others’ space and do not judge them because you might not know the whole back story. Respect others’ when they want to take a break. Respect others’ may not be available all the time. Respect others' privacy. Respect others’ when they are not active on social media. Respect others’ when they aren’t in social media completely. Respect because it is their choice.